When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground.". Mt., 47 counts, XII, 30-37)<br> <br> Gospel Reading (Matthew 71 ch., XVII, 10-18)<br> <br>10 And his disciples asked . This then begins to be the anchor and the soil into which they can anchor a life of faith that they were to have and to develop. The bonds of trust among the disciples were beginning to be frayed. He spent days and days, and weeks and weeks doing that, bringing new dimension of understanding to the Scriptures that they had never had. They didn't know. If these saints experienced privileges and powers in the Holy Spirit before the dam was opened, how much more should we in these billion kilowatt days experience these things or more. Psalm 139:710 says, "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? It was one of the three great pilgrim feasts that every Jewish male was required to attend (see Deuteronomy 16:16 ). A firstfruit is one who follows Christ. Christ did not leave His disciples as orphans. It had been organized quite well and in that remote backwater of Judea, the Roman government kept things in order. We can internalize that and think that through. When I was 15 years old, I got on a bus from my little hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died .John 4:11-14 Come on. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. You ever been in that type of situation where you don't know what to do next? It was the Roman soldiers that had carried out the death of Christ and had sealed the tomb and a Roman guard had been placed there. Consider this question, with what we have just read: how could people filled with doubt, even a measure of unbelief, fear, general fear, intense fear, heightened fear, abject fearfear takes many different forms and guises; sometimes we can control our fear, sometimes it overcomes us and we're just shaking in our bootshow could a people dealing with all of these emotions during this 50-day period of time be expected to do what Jesus told them here in verse 8, they would do, when they have problems figuring it all out at that particular moment? Hagiographical sources also portray saints as those able to withstand the fear or deceit brought . And so she was the first to see the empty tomb and have that appearance, and she goes and tells them. And so Luke's account brings this together. And . When did that become true? And then there came a time, in verse 4, where they were assembled together with Him and He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, "You have heard from Me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.". And of course, one of the most dramatic scenes in all the Bible occurred with the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the gathered disciples, and the speaking in tongues, and a mighty rushing wind that we find it hard to imagine what it was like, because it's not part of our custom to try to pray that down today like some other denominations and religious forms do. If these latter days are to be days of dreams and visions from the Holy Spirit, we had better pray earnestly for gifted Josephs to arise among us who can discern truth and error in such claims. The NT first Pentecost was the demarcation point when the Holy Spirit first indwelled people. In verse 14, it says, "Then later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table and He rebuked them, rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen." And God will expose sin, ours to ourselves, sometimes to others. After Pentecost, a radical transformation took place. But they were terrified, and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit." Maybe a few more decided to go to Jerusalem on Pentecost to see what was going on, and the town was bursting at the seams, and from all these nations that we're told about here and areas. But the Christian ought to see the creative, imaginative work of God's Spirit. Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. In verse 38, after everyone has calmed down, they realize theyve been involved and they were responsible for the death of Jesus. I was going to get on a Greyhound bus. PTIJ Should we be afraid of Artificial Intelligence? Send inquiries regarding the operation of this Web site to webmaster@ucg.org. The Feast of Pentecost, or Shavuot in Hebrew, was just starting in Jerusalem as the book of Acts begins. But it is also due to a much simpler and . They sold their possessions, they divided among them, they shared among those who had need. The gospels and the book of Acts tell us that would-be zealots and messiahs had come and gone. Put your hand into my side. I can't think about it more than five minutes without saying, "So what?" And this dramatic miracle, but beyond that, 3,000 people being added to the Church, and then a community being developed. And then the 50th day came, the morning of Pentecost, and they were gathered together. They'd likely not seen it. They looked upon them then as liars, charlatans, or fools, maybe a bit delusional. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. "And He said to them, 'Thus it is written, thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and the remissions of sins would be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these things. That's an important trait for a firstfruit, for a firstfruit to have in their life, and in their approach to life. And we can be about the work that we see that the Church did then and has always done, of taking the message of salvation and of repentance to life, to people who need that message. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.". I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Word of God. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy. Were on a mission to change that. It's an encouraging sermon, it's very pointed and direct, that includes a dramatic call to repentance. Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. As I was sitting there gazing around, nobody came. After Pentecost, they were different people. He was the one who was the leader of that doubt and fear and terrified approach, because he denied Christ three times, and he had to be pointedly taught by Jesus. With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! 1 Samuel 11:6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. Jesus was crucified during the Passover celebration. Exodus 31:15 says, "The Lord said to Moses, 'See, I have called by name Bezalel . And so Christ gives them teaching and He gives them understanding. Whoever believes in Jesus has everlasting life. All of these qualities are to the divine nature, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. I didn't know how to read a board to tell me these things. Those in the Spirit are indwelt by the Spirit and are enabled by him to fulfill the just requirement of the law. "He appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom He had cast seven demons. But as Christ begins to give them the teaching from the Scriptures, of how He had fulfilled literally, in every way, the scriptures about the Messiah. 19952023 All correspondence and questions should be sent to info@ucg.org. Question 8. So when I pose myself a question like, "How did believers experience the Holy Spirit before Pentecost?" We do well to read about these things, and ask ourselves the simple question: if they experienced so much of God's Spirit which was but a trickle of the reservoir, how much more should we enjoy under the dozen turbines of Pentecost? And we have by and large absorbed their mechanistic view of things. "And fear came upon every soul," and this was a different type of fear. Before or after this instance. Although John does not say this is the point when the disciples were born again, or that was when the New Covenant started, Erwin takes it to mean both: "it marks the transition from the terms of the old covenant to those of the new covenant" (p. 20). You remember what Ruth said to Naomi when Naomi, in the book of Ruth, had lost her husband and children, and these two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, tried to follow her away from Moab, and Orpah decided to leave. And in the room of the house where they were gathered, it obviously became a little bit too small for all that took place, because as these other people take note of it, you get the impression they moved out into a more public location in Jerusalem. It was a mighty, powerful machine, the most powerful that the world in that day had ever seen. Some say that they wound up in the temple precincts; could very well be. Some say apostles got Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. United Church of Godis a501(c)3organization. So if I can come back to the question that I asked, what was going through their mind on that morning of Pentecost? This is the threefold commission that is given to this group of disciples where they are to be witnesses of Him in the city of Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samariathe wider region of the country, look at it as kind of the wider counties of the country of Israel at the timeand then ultimately, to the end of the earth, to take the Gospel and to be a witness of God, to do this. And I think there was and is today a special touch or filling of the Holy Spirit that elevates the work of an artist or a musician or a craftsman from mere technical skill to divinely empowered ministry that exalts God and builds faith. We can accomplish the work of God, and we can then be the firstfruits who follow the Lamb and who know their God and do mighty deeds and mighty exploits. Before that the Holy Spirit came on people for specific gifts and purposes. I also think this is true in some way, but in gospels there is record that Jesus 'gave them authority over devils and diseases and sent them to preach gospel, to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead. Chapter 4 takes as its starting point the gift of speaking in tongues from the narrative of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13. . This event is very significant because the Bible says when we are born again, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit; in other words, the Holy Spirit comes to live on the inside of us (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). 60 seconds. Before Pentecost the river of God's Spirit blessed the people of Israel and was their very life. And that power would be what would begin to banish the fear, the troubling, doubt, that they had, coupled with the Word of God that they were to have. Jesus was enveloped within a pillar of fire, but was not harmed. He had a lot to come back, he was at the back of the pack. That's what He did. In other words, Peter says, we have entered the last days: the Messiah has come, he has accomplished redemption on the cross, he has risen and ascended to the right hand of God, and the interval before he returns in glory will be marked by an incomparable outpouring of the Holy Spirit on men and women, old and young, slave and free, near and far. But some doubted." As such, it requires a sabbath. These are the days of Pentecost, the days of the fullness of the Spirit, the days of worldwide mission. But on the day when the reservoir poured through the turbines a power was unleashed that spread far beyond the few folk down river and brought possibilities they had only dreamed of. Thus, the Pentecost is the culmination, the ultimate gift of Spirit, when the apostles get Him to such an extent and intensity that they can already be emboldened by Him to preach to all corners of the world, withstanding all calamities and opposing powers. How can I recognize one? Copy. And they're seeing that, and it's the final time. Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them. And perhaps like you and I would today, we might look at it as a little bit odd. Stop doubting and have faith! Now all of a sudden, as Peter steps forward, and of course, you know the story of Peter. The Jewish authorities of their day had a very thorough doctrinal review process and Peter's would not have passed, which is why they ran smack in trouble with the Jewish leadership from this point forward because they were applying new meaning to old Scriptures that no Jew had ever heard before. What was the doubt that was nagging away at them even as they saw Him, and even worshiped Him, knowing that they as they did know that He had died, and yet there was doubt? Probably the Spirit was their instructor in two senses. It says, "The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. These were not terrified, doubtful people. Well, that's a sign that I should go here, take this job, do this or do that. But miracles, well, that just takes a little bit more work, but they were here in the midst of a very large miracle. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. The Sadducees were more focused on the Five Books of Moses than the history and prophets. They had hoped He would overcome the power of the Roman government and establish a new kingdom, and now their hopes of this vanished. And more specifically for this group that they would be witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth being fulfilled. Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you, but tarryor waitin the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. So at 9:00 on Pentecost morning, while the disciples were praying, "a sound came from heaven like a rush of mighty wind . What is the difference between "receiving the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:14-20; 19:1-7) and "being filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17; 4:31)? I am not comfortable with that speculation. In Nehemiah 9, Ezra gives thanks to God for all his past benefits to Israel and says in verse 20, "Thou gavest thy good Spirit to instruct them and didst not withhold thy manna from their mouth." Welcome to BH. 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